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MVa)ITERnANEAN SEA. 



MEDITERRANEAN SEA. 



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The length of the cuteni diviaiou of the Meditemaean Irom C»po 

 Boo to the harbour of Iikeoderun oo the ooMt of Syria is about 1300 

 niilra. lt« width between the Gulfa of Tannto and Sidra ia about S50 

 milea ; between Cape Matapan and the ooaat of Cyreoaica 230 miles; 

 and between Ecrpt and Afia Minor ou the meridian of Alexandria 3»0 

 miles. AtCapeBon(87''4'20"N.Ut, lO" 53' 35" K long.) the Mediter- 

 ranean suddenly falls oiftu the southward, along the eastern shore of 

 Tuui^ for more than 3 degrees of latitude, to the bottom of the Gwlfuf 

 Kbabs (the ancient Syrtis Minor). The coast of Tunis is partly high, 

 and in parta skirted by wide tmcultivated plains ; to the west of the 

 Gulf of Khaba a little way inland is the great salt lake Al Sibkah, 

 which lies on the northern edge of the Great Desert of Sahara. There 

 are Mveral islands along this coast — Pantellaria belonging to Sicily } 

 the Karkcnah group (Ramlah, Gerbab, and others), low islands covered 

 with ilate-trees, and seated on a bank frcijucnted by shoals of tunny 

 fish; and in the south of tho Gulf of Khabs Jerbah, the ancient 

 Meninz, a flat fertile island, abounding in palm, olive, carob, and 

 date trees. On the north side of the ieliuid is a pyramid constructed 

 with the skulls of tho Spaniards who fell here in 1588 in battle with 

 the Turks. 



To the east of the island of Jerbah, tho coast of Tripoli trends 

 southward gradually to between 15° and 16' E. long., where it again 

 falU off rapidly, forming the Gulf of Sydra (the ancient Syrtis Major), 

 which extends eastward as far as 20° £. long., and its most southern 

 point is on the parallel of 30° 20' N. Tho part of the continent 

 uf Africa which forms the coast of this, the most southern part of 

 the Mediterranean, consiats of a narrow strip of habitable land, 

 hemmed in between the sea and tho Great Desert ; and at one part 

 traversed by 1 9° E. long., the sand of the desert actually forms for 

 some short duitance the shore of the sea. Eastward of this point 

 lies the fine hilly and wooded region of Ctkenaica, which presents a 

 high coast and trends rapidly to northward to the east of the Gulf of 

 Sydra till it nearly reaches the parallel of 83° N. Tho coast then 

 declines again gradually southward along tho ahure of Tripoli and 

 Egypt, Arab's Gulf, west of Alexandria, reaching the parallel of 

 30* 60' N. lat. The Egyptian coast is low but diversified by tlie har- 

 bours of Alexandria, the Bay of Aboukir, and the mouths of the 

 Nile, beyond which the Syrian Desert approaches the shore. In all 

 thiji great interval, from Cape Bon to the borders of Palestine, thci-e 

 is not a single river of any magnitude except the Nile, and the basin 

 of the ten comprises merely the narrow strip of hilly laud that 

 oeparates it from the Desert till it reaches the great river of Egypt, 

 which links with the Mediterranean countries all Egypt, Nubia, a 

 great part of Abyssinia, Senuaar, Kordofau, and other unexplored 

 regiona of central Africa. Tripoli and Alexandria are the most im- 

 portant towns on this part of the coast. Tho isthmus that connects 

 Africa with Asia from the head of the Red Sea at Suez to the old 

 Pelusian mouth of the Nile, is only 65 miles across. According to a 

 survey, made in 1853, the surface of the Mediterranean, at the point 

 just named, was one metre (3 feet 3 J inches) lower than the surface of 

 the Red Sea in the Gulf of Suez. 



The sea that washes the coasts of Syria and Asia Minor, is called 

 the Lkvast. The Syrian coart runs nearly due north, being for the 

 most part bold, rocky, and extremely ill provided with harbours or 

 sheltered anchorages. The Bay of Acre, north of Mount Carmel, 

 (the most remarkable headland on the coast), and Beyrout, ai« the 

 principal places of trade ; between them, on their ancient sites, are 

 Tyre (Sur) and Sidon (Saida), once famous for their commerce, 

 culonieo, and manufactures, now mere villages. 



Vafa, or Joppa, is still the port of landing for pilgrims to Jerusalem. 

 The it>cky island of Ruad, the ancient Aradua, 2 milos off the coast 

 of Phcrauoia, was in ancient times covered with a city, founded by a 

 colony from Sidon. It became a busy, industrious, and wealthy hive. 

 There are some remains of its ancient structures still. The city was 

 supplied with water from a submarine spring, which still supplies the 

 fishing village that occupies the site. 



The basin of the Mediten-anean extends no great way from the 

 Syrian coast. Jerusalem stands on the watershed between this sea 

 and the Dead Sea. The high lands of Judoca, Samaria, and Galilee form 

 the boundary, which in Upper Galilee, a little south of tho latitude of 

 Tyre, appnjoches within a few miles of the coast, but again takes a 

 uurth-north-eaat direction, so as to inclose the region of Cocle Syria, 

 watered by the Nahr-el-Litany, the ancient Leontes, which enters the 

 Mediterranean a little north of Tyre ; and the Nahr-el-Aay (Oroutea), 

 which flowing nortliward, and passing Antio<;h, enten the sea a few 

 miles south of Kas-el-Khanzir. 



On the cast and north of the Bay of Iskenderun tliero is only a 

 narrow strip between the Jawur-Dagh and Durdun-Dagh, the ancient 

 AMA-ti-R Mounlaino, belonging to the basin of the Mediterranean. 

 The Gulf uf Iskenderun extends in a north-eastern direction for 

 about 50 miles bctwwm the Cape of Khanzir in Syria and Capo Kara- 

 Taah in the ■outh-cast of Asia Minor. Tho harbour of lakonderuo, 

 on the eMt aida of the Gulf, has some traile in tho imports and 

 exports of Aleppo and Antioch. Tho Jibiin falhi into the west side of 

 the gulf, at the extremity of the Durdun-Dagh, and draina the south- 

 weatam angle of Asia Minor. The Jihun in ancient timea was called 

 PyramiUk which entered the sea to the west of Cape Kara-Taah. The 

 coMt here, and for a long distance weitword as far as the mouth of the 



Tarsus River, is low and alluvial. About 70 miles SW. from Ras-el- 

 Khanzir lies the island of Cyrncs. Across this alluvial plain another 

 considerable river^the Sihun, which has its source in the highlands 

 on the leit bonk of the Kizil-Ism^, near 39° N. lat, flows into the 

 sea between the Jihun and the Tereus-Chai, or river of Tarsus. 



To the west of the Tersus-Chsi the Taurus Slouutains and their 

 southern ofishoots come close down to tho coast, which is bold, rocky, 

 and precijiitons, but covered with luxuriant timber. Between tho 

 gulfs of Adalia and Makri there is a vast projection formed by 

 another moimtain mass from the Taurus. In all this coast of Asia 

 Minor, from tho Gulf of Iskcnd' run to the Yodi Burun, or Seven 

 Capes, there sre no harliours; but to the westward of tho Seven 

 Capes tho coast of Asia Minor, both on the south and on the west 

 along the Aegean, is cut up by innumerable bays, harbours, and inleta, 

 forming countless islands, peninsulao, ca|>es, and headlands. Off tho 

 south-west of Asia Minor lie the islands of Rhodes and Crate. 



Crete, Scarpantos, and Rhodes form the natural boundjiry of tho 

 /Egwui on tho south. North-west of Crete lie tho island of Ccrigo 

 (the ancient Cythera) and the Morea. The Morea on every »ido 

 presents a bold high coast, indented however with many fine bays, 

 studded with islands, and forming good harbours. On the oast coast 

 are the Gulf of ^Ggina (S.-ironic Gulf) containing the islands of .iCgina 

 andSalamis, and the Gulf of Nauplia (Argolic Gulf). On the south 

 coast, between Cape Matapan and Cape Malea, is the Gulf of Kolo- 

 kythi (Laconion Gulf) ; and west of the high Maniote region, which 

 ends in Capo Matapan, is the Gulf of Koroni (Messenian Gulf), bounded 

 on the west by Cape Gallo. On the west side of tho Morea are the liny 

 of Navarino, sheltered by the Island of Sphagia, the ancient Sphncteria; 

 farther north the Gulf of Arcadia (Cyparissian Gulf), <>tl' whicli lio tho 

 Strophades Islands; and the gulfs of Patras and Lepouto (Corinthian 

 Gulf), which separate tho Morea from the rest of Greece. 



The part of the Mediterranean that lies between Greece, Italy, 

 and Sicily was anciently colled the Ionian Sea, which is joined to the 

 Adriatic by tho Strait of Otranto. In its eastern parts, along tho 

 coast of Greece, are the islands which form the Scptinsular Republic of 

 tho Ionian Islands, under the protection of Great Britain. The prin- 

 cipal bay on the east side of this sea is the Gulf of Arta, the ancient 

 Ambracian Gulf, which formed part of the boundary between Greece 

 and Epirus, as it now does between Grocco and Turkey in Europe, 

 On the Italian side, which presents numerous headlands, but has in 

 parts a low coast, are the gulfs of Taranto and Squillace. The prin- 

 cipal harbour on this const is tliat of Taranto, the ancient Tarontum. 

 Along the cast of Sicily the offshoots of .ili^tna form a bold coast ; but 

 south of .-Etna there are many small sheltered bays, the principal of 

 which form the harbours of Catania and Syracuse. About sixty miles 

 south of Sicily is the island of Malta, which belongs to Great Britain, 

 and is considered the key of the Mediterranean. Nearly <lue east of 

 Cape Bon, and traversed by 12° E. long, is the island of Pantellaria, 

 the ancient Coesyria, which is wholly of volcanic origin. 



The navigation of the Mediterranean niuiit no doubt be of very early 

 date. Tho story of Minos destroying pirates (Thucyd., L 4) tjikes for 

 granted the fact that there must nave been merohant vessels carrying 

 something worth stealing from the earliest recorded period. If with 

 Strabo we take for granted tho accuracy of Homer's descriptions, it by 

 no means follows that the Greeks knew everything that could have 

 been known to every other nation at that time ; and the stories told 

 of the jealousy with which tlie Phoenicians and Carthaginians guarded 

 their discoveries prove at least that geographical knowledge was not 

 common property ; and with regard to tlicse very nations, the know- 

 ledge which the Greeks could have had of them, lunong other barba- 

 riftua, must have been inferior to that which we possess in the minute 

 accuracy of the Scriptures alone. The foundation of Utica 130 years 

 before Carthage proves a regular communication between this place 

 and Syria at a distance of upwards of 1300 milea; and we may con- 

 clude that occasional voyages of these enterprising people had already 

 cxtcndid the bounds of knowledge far beyond these limits. 



Tlio Mediterranean was divideil by Ktrabo into three basins : tho 

 first comprised the sea between the Columns of Uereules and .Sicily ; 

 the second, between Sicily and Rhodes ; and the third, between Rhodes 

 and the shores of Syria. 



Strabo supposed that the parallel of latitude of 364° passed through 

 the Sacred Promontory (Capo St. Vincent), between the Pillars of 

 Heroulea (or Ciibraltar and Ceuta), dividing this part of the Mediter- 

 ranean in tho middle of its breadth, which was believed by navigators 

 to be 5000 stadia, or 42i) nautical miles from tho Gulf of Lyon to 

 the shore of Africa, which is very near the truth. The sea hero 

 however lies altogether to the north of this |>arallel; and hence, 

 as the configuration of the European shores teoms to have been 

 tolerably good, the coast of Africa must have been proportionally 

 distorted. This parallel was carried through the stmits of Sicily, 

 Rhodes, and the Gulf of Issus, now the Gulf of Iskenderun. 



In consequence of the above sup|>osition, he placed Marseille to the 

 southward instead of the northward of Byzantium. He supposed 

 Sardinia and Corsica to lie north-west and soutli-eiut instead of north 

 and south, and made the distance of .Sardinia from the coast of Africa 

 24U0 stadia, or 205 miles, instoad of 100 miles, the tme distance. 

 From the Columns of Hercules to the Strnit of Sicily he considers to 

 be 12,000 stadia, or 1028 miles. 



